Sports bras have been developed for those women who are active and enjoy participating in a variety of sports activities. Sports bras are designed to better support and minimize the movement of the breasts during exercise. Specifically, they were initially designed to reduce the vertical displacement of the breast and eliminate the "bounce factor". However, sports bras are also worn by women who have larger breasts and feel more comfortable in a bra that is designed to better support and hold the breasts tightly to the body. Women who do not engage in sports activities also enjoy wearing sports bras because of the style and comfort they afford. Sports bras also provide additional support of the breasts during menstruation when breasts may become swollen and tender.
Several different designs of sports bra are currently available for women. For example, the Jogbra.TM. has thin straps which are crossed in the back. The bra is designed to squeeze the breasts firmly to the body. The Sport Bra.TM. is also designed with thin shoulder straps and has a low-cut back. Playtops.TM. is a criss-crossing bra with thin shoulder straps and a wide low-cut back. There are several design flaws associated with these sports bras which lead to discomfort, pain and swelling of the breasts and/or nipples as well as can cause discomfort and pain of the shoulder and back region. In many cases the design of the bra causes excessive squeezing of the breasts tightly to the chest which can cause breast soreness. The straps are often very thin and cut into the shoulders of women, particularly larger and more robust women. In addition, while the bras try to provide comfort and support to the breasts, they are not designed to provide any comfort or support for the back muscles which help to support the chest in an upright and better postured position.
Other design problems associated with sport bras is that they typically have very tight non-adjustable elasticized rib bands which are designed to hold the bra firmly in place on the torso. Such rib bands may typically cause skin irritations leading to abrasions, bruising and tenderness. Another problem associated with the sport bras currently available for women today is that they are difficult to put on. This is because sport bras are typically designed to be placed on over the head and thus require stretching of the elasticized rib band in order to do so. Other bras typically have clasps that must be fastened on the back.
There is therefore a need to develop a sports bra which is easy to put on and comfortably supports the breast and the back muscles thereby reducing the potential of breast injury and discomfort as well as reducing back and shoulder discomfort during wearing of the bra.